Donna Orender

PGA Tour executive Donna Orender was appointed president of the WNBA on Tuesday, replacing Val Ackerman, who resigned in October. Orender, who takes over in April, has spent the last 17 years with the PGA Tour. Her current post, which she has held since 2001, is senior vice president for strategic development.

PGA Tour executive Donna Orender was appointed president of the WNBA on Tuesday, replacing Val Ackerman, who resigned in October. Orender, who takes over in April, has spent the last 17 years with the PGA Tour. Her current post, which she has held since 2001, is senior vice president for strategic development.

The WNBA suspended five Sparks players, including Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie, and five Detroit Shock players and assistant coach Rick Mahorn Thursday for their involvement in an on-court fight in Tuesday's game. As a result, the Sparks were without four starters, including Olympians Parker, Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones for their game against the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sparks lost, 87-61, to the Sun.

Sparks center Lisa Leslie will miss the WNBA All-Star game on Saturday because of a sprained right knee that has kept her sidelined for the last seven games, the league announced Wednesday. Sacramento Monarchs forward Nicole Powell was selected by WNBA President Donna Orender as Leslie's replacement. Western Conference Coach Dan Hughes of the San Antonio Silver Stars will decide who will fill Leslie's vacated starting position spot.

Sparks rookie Candace Parker made national news again Tuesday night. Only this attention will hardly make her highlight reel. Parker was at the center of a bench-clearing brawl against the Detroit Shock at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The incident occurred with 4.5 seconds left in an 84-81 victory by the Sparks, which ended a five-game road losing streak.

Sparks star Candace Parker, the WNBA rookie of the year and most valuable player last season who also won an Olympic gold medal and led the Tennessee Lady Vols to another title, is pregnant. Parker, who is married to Sacramento Kings forward Shelden Williams, confirmed the news Wednesday. In a statement, Parker said, "We feel blessed." Her agent, Mary Ford, said Parker would have no further comment -- for now. No due date was disclosed, but Sparks General Manager Penny Toler says she thinks Parker can return well before the season ends.

Five things to look for as the Sparks open training camp today: 1. New owners: Kathy Goodman and Carla Christofferson, season-ticket holders who lead an investment group that bought the Sparks from Lakers owner Jerry Buss in December, are nothing if not enthusiastic, living out every fan's fantasy. "Everyone in the league is thrilled with what Carla and Kathy have brought to L.A.," WNBA President Donna Orender said last week.

Sparks President Johnny Buss, who has run the WNBA franchise through eight seasons, said Monday that he is stepping down. He also said there is a possibility that the team would be put up for sale. Although Buss did not name an immediate successor, he disclosed that General Manager Penny Toler had already started taking more responsibility for running the day-to-day operation. Toler, a former Sparks player who was hired as general manager in 1999, could not be immediately reached for comment.

An investor group led by Los Angeles lawyers Katherine Goodman and Carla Christofferson is buying the Sparks from Lakers owner Jerry Buss for $10 million, sources confirmed Tuesday night. The NBA Board of Governors was expected to vote today to approve the sale of the two-time WNBA champions, sources said. The Sparks have scheduled a Thursday news conference.

A light fog crawled into Home Depot Center Saturday night, peeking down at a peculiar happening inside the tennis stadium. The haze got only so far before overhead lights sliced through it unmercifully, shining upon a temporary basketball court where the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm played the second outdoor game in WNBA history. Cold air swirled often, and jackets left seatbacks to warm chilled shoulders. Propane heaters silently burned behind the team benches, their orange coils glowing brighter as the night darkened, and as they warmed up so too did the Sparks.

In front of 14,284 fans at the Great Western Forum on June 21, 1997, Sparks point guard Penny Toler swished a 12-footer, scoring the first basket in the WNBA's inaugural game. Although Toler and the Sparks lost that game to the New York Liberty, her shot became a bit of sports trivia and has been used as a question on "Jeopardy. " Toler, now the Sparks' general manager, said the significance of that first WNBA game was "not about scoring the first basket. " Rather, she said, it was playing a role in helping establish a pro league that could inspire female athletes.